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Spindler, E. et al. 2014. IENE - Infra Eco Network Europe: A network for sustainable green
infrastructure compatible with transport routes and corridors. In: Marschall, I. & Gather, M. (eds.)
Proceedings of the 2nd GreenNet Conference, 19 / 20 of February 2013, Vienna; pp126-136
Ilke Marschall (ed.)
Matthias Gather (ed.)
an integrative
landscape policy?
Environment
Society
Agriculture
Proceedings of the 2nd GreenNet Conference:
Transport
How to push the implementation of the European
Green Belt by landscape policy instruments?
Ecosystems and
Biodiversity
Berichte des Instituts Verkehr und Raum
Band 18 (2014)
ISSN 1868-8586
How to push the implementation of the European Green Belt
by landscape policy instruments?
Proceedings of the 2nd GreenNet Conference, 19 / 20 of February 2013, Vienna
The GreenNet project is implemented through the
CENTRAL EUROPE programme co-financed by the ERDF
Editors:
Ilke Marschall
Matthias Gather
February 2014
The editors want to thank Guillermo Pablos and Marion Müller
for the editorial help concerning the contributions.
University of Applied Sciences Erfurt (Fachhochschule Erfurt)
Department of Landscape Architecture &Transport and Spatial Planning Institute
Altonaer Straße 25
99085 Erfurt, Germany
phone: +49 / 361 / 6700 524
fax: +49 / 361 / 6700 757
e-mail: ilke.marschall@fh-erfurt.de, matthias.gather@fh-erfurt.de, greennet@fh-erfurt.de
internet: www.fh-erfurt.de/lgf/la/. www.verkehr-und-raum.de
ISSN 1868-858
CONTENT
CONTENT
PREFACE............................................................................................................................................................... 3
Key notes: Introduction & European Landscape Policy
SPATIAL CONFLICTS TO BE SOLVED ALONG THE GREEN BELT –
A FIRST OVERVIEW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SPATIAL PLANNING
Gerlind Weber.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
DOES THERE EXIST A EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE POLICY?
WHICH INSTRUMENTS CAN SUPPORT THE EUROPEAN GREEN BELT?
AN INTRODUCING OVERVIEW
Ilke Marschall…………………………………………………............................................................................... 5
AGRICULTURAL BIODIVERSITY IN THE PROSPECT OF THE NEW EU COMMON
AGRICULTURAL POLICY (CAP) - SITUATION, THREATS AND POTENTIALS OF HNV
FARMING
Rainer Luick……………………………………………………………………………………………….…….. 13
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
Marco Fritz……………………………………………………………………………………………………..... 39
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE
OF THE REGIONS
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE (GI) — ENHANCING EUROPES NATURAL CAPITAL……………… 40
Practice of Landscape policy in the European Partner countries
SUCCESS FACTORS AND CHALLENGES OF THE GERMAN GREEN BELT IN THE
GOVERNANCE ASPECT
Suk-Kyung Shim ………………………………………………………………………………..……………..... 50
THE ECONOMICS OF ECOSYSTEMS AND LANDSCAPES OF THE EUROPEAN GREEN BELT
Francesco Marangon…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 58
THE TERRITORIAL SYSTEM OF ECOLOGICAL STABILITY (TSES)
IN THE PLANNING PRACTICE IN SLOVAKIA
Zita Izakovi ová…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 67
NATURA 2000 OVERLAP & ASSESSMENT AS A TOOL FOR PROTECTION OF THE GREEN BELT
Petr Roth, Eva Chvojková, Ondrey Volf………………………………………………………………................ 74
ARE EIA AND SEA AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GREEN BELT?
Michala Kopeckova, Vlasta Benediktová………………………………………………………………………... 78
DATABASE OF MEASURES FOR THE EUROPEAN GREEN BELT WITHIN “GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EUROPE”
Hans-Jörg Raderbauer, Brigitte Grießer, Klaudia Heinrich……………………………………………………... 84
LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT – WHAT REALLY MATTERS ARE PEOPLE BEHIND
THE LANDSCAPE
Maja Simoneti…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 92
1
CONTENT
GREENWAYS: A LANDSCAPE PLANNING TOOL FOR RESTORATION OF LINKAGES IN THE
LANDSCAPE
Attila Toth, Jan Supuka………………………………………………………………………………………...... 93
DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO ECOLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY IN AUSTRIA
Irene Engelberger, Horst Leitner ………………………………………………………………………………. 104
CROSSBORDER SPATIAL PLANNING AS A METHOD HOW TO PUSH THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN GREEN BELT: EXAMPLE OF THE PROJECT BAUM
Marek Dinka …………………………………………………………………………………............................ 111
European Grey & Green Infrastructure
EUROPEAN MOBILITY AND TRANSPORT STRATEGY: WHITE PAPER 2011: INFLUENCE OF
THE EUROPEAN GREEN BELT AND EUROPEAN ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS, CUMULATIVE
LANDSCAPE FRAGMENTATION? IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EU BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY?
FUTURE OF ROADS, TRANSPORT AND MOBILITY?
Hermann Knoflacher…………………………………………………………………………………………… 120
IENE - INFRA ECO NETWORK EUROPE: A NETWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE COMPATIBLE WITH TRANSPORT ROUTES AND CORRIDORS
Elke Spindler, Anders Sjölund, Marita Böttcher, Lazaros Georgiadis, Carme Rosell, Erland Røsten, Tony
Sangwine, Andreas Seiler, Miklós Puky ………………………………………………………………………. 126
IMPLEMENTING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS IN EUROPE:
LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
Kristijan Civic, Lawrence Jones-Walters………………………………………………………………………. 137
Awareness raising
THE GREEN BELT-PILOT AREA OF BUND IN ALTMARKKREIS SALZWEDEL
- A BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLE FOR THE INTERACTION OF LANDSCAPE POLICY
INSTRUMENTS AND AWARENESS RISING FOR THE ECOLOGICAL NETWORK
Dieter Leupold, Dr. Liana Geidezis, Melanie Kreutz………………………………………………………….. 146
VOLUNTARY ACTIVITIES IN THE LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT OF THE GREEN BELT
Stella Schmigalle……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 156
CROSS BORDER IDEAS FOR NATURE PROTECTION AND LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION
Martin Farthofer………………………………………………………………………………………….
.. 168
FROM AN OUTSTANDING EUROPEAN GREEN BELT TO A UNESCO DESIGNATION: A
FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE DESIGNATION OF THE EUROPEAN GREEN BELT AS WORLD
HERITAGE SITE
Karl Heinz Gaudry, Katharina Diehl, Manuel Oelke, Gunnar Finke, Anita Beblek, Werner Konold……...….. 169
CONNECTING 1st & 2nd SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE, FEEDBACK AND
INSPIRATION FOR A TRANSITION TO A LIFE SUSTAINING EUROPEAN SOCIETY
Marion Müller…………………..……………………………………………………………………………… 179
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IENE – INFRA ECO NETWORK EUROPE:
A NETWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
COMPATIBLE WITH TRANSPORT ROUTES AND CORRIDORS
The IENE Steering Committee:
Elke Spindler
Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology
Radetzkystr. 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria
elke.spindler@bmvit.gv.at
Anders Sjölund (Chair)
Trafikverket – The Swedish Transport Administration
781 89 Borlänge, Sweden
anders.sjolund@trafikverket.se
Marita Böttcher
The German Federal Nature Conservation Agency (BfN)
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 143, 04277 Leipzig, Germany
Marita.Boettcher@BfN.de
Lazaros Georgiadis
ARCTUROS, Civil Society for the protection and management
of wildlife and natural environment.
3 Rogoti Str, 54624, Thessaloniki, Greece
lgeorgiadis@arcturos.gr
Carme Rosell
Minuartia, Environmental Consultancy
P/ Domenech, 3. Sant Celoni, Barcelona, Spain
crosell@minuartia.com
Erland Røsten
Norwegian Public Roads Administration
Brynsengfaret 6A, Oslo, Norway
erland.rosten@vegvesen.no
Tony Sangwine
Highways Agency, United Kingdom
Temple Quay House, The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6HA, UK
tony.sangwine@highways.gsi.gov.uk
Andreas Seiler
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station
S-730 91 Riddarhyttan, Sweden
seiler@wildlifeandtraffic.se
Miklós Puky
MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Danube Research Institute
Jávorka S. u. 14, HU-2131 Göd, Hungary
puky.miklos@okologia.mta.hu
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ABSTRACT
IENE – The Infra Eco Network Europe is a formalized network of experts working with various
aspects of transportation, infrastructure and ecology. Traffic and infrastructure are requisites for a
prosperous economy and society, but they often entail significant habitat degradation and
fragmentation; impacts that are recognised among the major threats to biodiversity worldwide.
The main negative impacts on wildlife populations caused by transport infrastructure are the loss and
transformation of habitat, edge effects and disturbances, traffic mortality and barrier effects. To
prevent further impact, transport planning and ecological concerns need to be approached from a
holistic and international perspective. Overcoming negative impacts is possible, necessary means and
knowledge is available. Of highest emphasis is the protection of still unfragmented natural areas as
found in many eastern European countries, where the threat of exploitation through new infrastructure
overwhelming. If avoidance of new infrastructure is impossible, or existing transport corridors already
dissect important nature areas, adequate and effective mitigation measures are called for. Many
western European countries have started to develop a Green Infrastructure Network as a physical and
administrative backbone of nature. Overlapping green and transport infrastructures helps to identify
top priority locations for mitigation.
To successfully protect nature and biodiversity while developing transport infrastructure all interests
need to compromise, all involved stakeholders need to cooperate and find a sustainable solution
together. However, shortcomings in environmental policy, gaps in communication and a lack of
sufficient funding impede the achievement of a safe and an ecologically sustainable infrastructure.
IENE aims at enhancing the development and exchange of expert knowledge and at encouraging
cross-boundary and interdisciplinary cooperation in research and policy making.
1
INTRODUCTION
To stop the loss of biodiversity is one of the biggest challenges mankind is facing in the
21st century. The European Commission aims at halting this loss in the EU by 2020 and
therefore employs the European Biodiversity Strategy. A major threat on biodiversity is the
fragmentation and degradation of habitat caused by the construction and use of transport
infrastructure [1].
The Infra Eco Network Europe (IENE) seeks to counteract this threat by promoting safe
and ecologically sustainable transport infrastructure through recommending planning
procedures and mitigation measures to conserve biodiversity, counteract landscape
fragmentation and reduce vehicular accidents and wildlife casualties.
2
IENE – INFRA ECO NETWORK EUROPE
IENE is a formalized network of mainly, but not exclusively, European authorities,
institutes and individual experts working with the impacts of transport and infrastructure on
nature and their mitigation. Since 1996, IENE addresses decision makers, planners and
researchers as well as the public, and provides an international and interdisciplinary arena to
encourage and enable cross-boundary cooperation in research, mitigation and planning.
2.1
INFRAstructure
A safe, efficient and sustainable transport system is a key to the modern way of life.
Economies, markets and societal structures depend heavily on the transport of people and
goods, and this at growingly larger scales. In the European Union, traffic between member
states is expected to double over the next ten years. In the EU member states transport
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infrastructure contains 5.000.000 km of paved roads including over 65.000 km of motorways,
over 200.000 km of railways and over 42.000 km of navigable inland waterways. Most of
them have been planned and built under national policy premises.
In the White Paper on transport “Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area –
Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system” [2] the European Commission
has therefore presented an overall European vision on Transport 2050. The strategy defines 10
goals and 40 initiatives to develop a competitive European transport system while attempting
a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 60%.
This unified Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) represents an integrative
network approach that focuses on the functional needs of entire Europe and develops new
projects in response to the identified European needs.
In 2005, 30 priority projects of European interest have been defined and shall be
completed in 2020, most of which are railway projects. This entails the establishment of new
infrastructure projects in hitherto not highly developed areas, like in the former eastern
European countries.
Unfortunately, the imminent threat on nature and biodiversity caused by this transport
infrastructure development was not considered in the White Paper, and neither were options
to avoid or remedy habitat fragmentation or counteract other negative impacts The EU
Strategy on Green Infrastructure, which is being developed by the European Commission,
was equally not referred to in the White Paper on transport. Despite this lack, Gudrun
Schulze, Senior Policy Coordinator in the European Commission, Directorate-General for
Mobility and Transport in Brussels, clearly stated at the IENE 2012 International Conference
[3] that a sustainable transport network should indeed include ecological sustainability
although it is not specified in detail in the White Paper. However, it is very much up to the
member states to fulfil this challenge when planning and building infrastructure.
2.2
ECOlogy
Fragmentation of natural habitat through infrastructure development with its subsequent
adverse effects on wildlife and social life is recognised as one of the major unresolved threats
to biological diversity worldwide [1].
The immediate negative impacts of transport infrastructure on wildlife populations are
the loss and transformation of habitat, edge effects and disturbances, traffic mortality and
barrier effects. Transport infrastructure cuts through habitats of animals and plants, imposes
barriers to their distribution and disrupt natural processes such as migration movements.
Thereby it interrupts the genetic interchange and leads to declining and degenerated
population in a long term perspective. Additionally traffic mortality further weakens and
diminishes populations. The use of transport infrastructure produces different emissions like
noise, light and air pollution which can affect adjacent habitats and disturb animals and plants
even at some distance from the infrastructure. The extent of the impact varies a lot depending
on the dimension of the infrastructure, traffic density, the surrounding area and the biology of
the affected species [1, 4].
There is an urgent need to integrate ecological concern in transport planning in Europe
and thereby to preserve large unfragmented natural areas and re-establish and secure
connectivity across fragmented landscapes. Overcoming these negative impacts is possible to
some degree; necessary means and knowledge are available. In addition, parts of
infrastructure areas can be transformed into a habitat valuable to biodiversity.
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Many species are affected by barrier effects and traffic mortality. Road traffic is one of
the main causes of mortality for some endangered mammals in Europe such as the European
mink (Mustela lutreola) and the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) [5, 6].
Animal vehicle collisions are also a major threat to traffic safety and incident numbers
increase in many European countries. In Europe the total number of ungulate-vehicle
collisions was estimated at half a million annually at the end of the 20th century. These
collisions were estimated to cause over 300 human fatalities and 30.000 human injuries and
over 1 billion dollars in damages [7]. More recent estimates suggest over 1 million accidents
caused by ungulates in Europe annually [8]. Animals involved in these accidents are for
example the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and in the northern
countries also red deer (Cervus elaphus) and moose (Alces alces).
Therefore in some European countries motorways and high-speed railways are fenced
on both sides to avoid collisions with large mammals. This measure prevents road kills (at
least for those species which are not able to pass the fence) but strongly enforces the barrier
effect if fences are not combined with fauna passages [9].
On the other hand, inappropriate fencing like at the Egnatia Highway in Greecemay
rather produce high rates of traffic mortality for endangered and protected large carnivore
species as the brown bear (Ursus arctos) [10,11,12].
The combination of appropriate exclusion fences and safe fauna passages can
successfully avoid road kills and simultaneously overcome barrier effects. Safe passages help
to maintain the permeability of the surrounding landscape for larger mammals, as well as for
small animals like insects and beetles. In addition plant seeds and small animals benefit from
larger species as vectors. [13,14,15]
Species such as amphibians suffer from various multiple threats that cause a world-wide
decline [16, 17]. As these species move relatively slowly and typically in large numbers, they
are highly exposed to vehicular traffic [18]. Millions of individuals cross roads in spring and a
high ratio of them get killed every year. Permanent technical measures can help them to cross
over or under roads. The common toad (Bufo bufo) is a common road kill victim in Europe
from Spain in the south to Sweden in the north. This species can be helped effectively through
amphibian tunnels or modified culverts, similarly to e.g. the spadefoot toad, Pelobates fuscus,
and the fire-bellied toad, Bombina bombina. With other species, such as the European
treefrog, Hyla arborea, alternative solutions, e.g. digging mitigation ponds to avoid crossroad migration is also needed to safeguard the survival of amphibian populations. Other
solutions like temporary drift fences and temporarily closed roads are also part of the
European mitigation strategy.
Therefore an integrative approach against negative environmental impacts is needed and
further measures like wildlife over- or underpasses have to be built to mitigate barrier effects
on adjacent habitats.
Due to the importance of this topic and it’s Europe wide dimension, IENE initiated the
COST Action 341 and produced “A European Handbook for Identifying Conflicts and
Designing Solutions concerning Wildlife and Traffic - Habitat Fragmentation due to
Transportation Infrastructure” in 2003 [19]. This handbook was used in many countries inside
as well as outside Europe as a basis for the development of national guidelines in many cases.
In most European countries, it is state of the art to mitigate the negative impacts of new
transport infrastructure on animal and plant populations. Many countries do have guidelines
and regulations defining which mitigation measures need to be carried out for different types
of negative impacts. In some countries they are obligatory, at least for motorways, like in
Germany and Austria for example, while in most countries they are merely recommendations.
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During the last decade many successful projects have been realised that proved that the
preservation as well as the re-establishment of connectivity can be achieved by installing
appropriate measures. To safeguard the connectivity of green (habitat) corridors they need to
be incorporated in spatial and landscape plans and they need to be supported by all concerned
stakeholders.
In modern landscapes, many different interests compete for a rapidly decreasing space.
Human settlements, industrial areas, transport and other infrastructure as well as agriculture
often overrule nature conservation interests. To successfully protect nature and biodiversity
all interests need to compromise, all involved stakeholders need to cooperate and find a
sustainable solution together.
A lack of economic incentives as well as insufficient resources and shortcomings in
environmental policy often impede the development of a safer and an ecologically sustainable
infrastructure. Landscape values – such as habitat connectivity – need a general and legal
recognition that provides the necessary tools for decision makers to consider biodiversity right
from the start of a project.
In many European countries, landscapes are already very densely cut through by
transport infrastructure. Large undissected areas are rare but they still do exist as in the
eastern European countries like Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Russian Federation, Ukraine as
well as in the areas of the green belt. . These areas, especially if still naturally stocked, should
receive top priority in nature conservation. The protection and conservation of roadless areas
has to be considered as one of the important aims in the 21st century for science, politics and
nature conservation. [20]
Therefore major emphasis needs to be put to the Green Belt Europe, which connects a
large number of ecologically valuable areas representing a cross section of all European biogeographical regions and which could be the backbone of a Pan-European ecological network.
The Carpathians region, one of the largest contiguous habitats in Central Europe, with
expected rapid development of transport infrastructure, will be a main topic of the upcoming
IENE scientific workshop Romania and in the Czech Republic in 2013. Also the IENE
International Conference 2014 in Oslo will deal with the preservation of large unfragmented
natural areas.
2.3
Network
All over the world and especially in Europe, already a dense network of transport
infrastructure exists, that combined with urban development and industrial land use (e.g.
mining, but also intense agriculture and forestry) leads to a significant depletion of natural
habitats.
The negative effects of transport infrastructure on nature are well acknowledged [1],
and are referred to in various regulations, conventions and strategies. For example, the Bonn
Convention and the Bern Convention aim at protecting wild flora and fauna and are to a big
extent incorporated in the Habitats-Directive and the Birds Directive by the European Union.
To integrate concern for nature in planning processes, the European Union established
directives such as the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (EIA) and Strategic
Impact Assessment Directive (SEA). Additionally, the European Commission released the
European Biodiversity Strategy (EBS) with the aim to halt the loss of biodiversity in the EU
by 2020. Target 2 of the EBS declares that ecosystems and their services shall be maintained
and secured by restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems and establishing a green
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infrastructure as a conservational backbone. Improved knowledge of ecosystems and
ecosystem services shall help to accomplish no net loss of biodiversity.
Currently, the European Commission is developing an EU Green Infrastructure strategy
which is expected to be released in 2013. Green infrastructure is a strategically planned and
functionally linked network of high-quality ecosystems [21]. Several measures and actions are
foreseen to connect existing and re-establish already lost ecosystems. The Green
Infrastructure network shall represent a multifunctional resource capable of delivering a wide
range of benefits and services for both people and nature. In that, the concept of Green
Infrastructure combines multiple benefits for both humans and nature.
A propositional map of existing and planned green infrastructure can provide a highly
valuable basis for impact assessment and mitigation of new infrastructure projects as well as
for defragmentation programmes on existing transport networks. This concept has already
been successful in Germany, where a network of wildlife habitat corridors has been
established [13] of which the green belt constitutes an important link. This network enabled
the development of the German Defragmentation Programme [22] which was ratified in
February 2012. In the programme, over 90 priority areas for defragmentation measures have
been identified.
In the Netherlands a Long Term Defragmentation Programme (MJPO) has been
established, with a focus on existing highways, railroads and canals [23]. The MJPO is made
possible through interdepartmental collaboration between the Ministry of Transportation and
the Ministry of Environment. Overlaying the Dutch National Ecological Network with the
existing network of infrastructure, 215 conflict points were defined and 602 measures were
developed to mitigate these conflicts. The programme started in 2005 and will be
accomplished in 2018. At the end of 2012, the identified problems at 59 conflict points were
solved, at 44 sites measures have been realised partly. A total of 213 mitigation measures has
been realised by the end of 2012.
In Austria, a similar defragmentation program was established by overlapping the most
important wildlife corridors with the motorway network [24]. The program identified 20 toppriority conflict sites where motorways cut through major wildlife migration routes and
formed an insurmountable barrier for animals. The defragmentation programme was released
in 2007 and those 20 identified conflicts shall be mitigated by green bridges until 2027 [25].
Already two bridges have been built and three more are in the planning process.
A major problem in successfully implementing mitigation measures is the cooperation
between different stakeholders and the necessary compromise between adverse interests.
Mitigation measures along transport infrastructure are expensive and are normally paid for by
transport administrations. Such costly investments can only be effective and operative on a
long term basis, if they are well embedded in a protected ecological and legal framework.
Spatial or landscape planning is often the responsibility of a different administration
than infrastructure planning. Therefore, the good-will and cooperation of both parties is
needed to implement long-term sustainable solutions. The instruments of spatial and
landscape planning vary a lot between countries and even municipalities, but good solutions
can always be found if all involved parties try to reach the same goal.
There are several good examples found across Europe (for example in the Austrian
province of Styria) where this cooperation works very well, but in general it remains a huge
challenge.
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2.4
Europe
Experiences from the past have proved that mitigation carried out by an individual
approach can work at a small scale but to successfully reduce the on-going degradation and
loss of Europe’s natural areas and biodiversity an integrated and coherent approach over large
areas is essential to carry out spatially effective environmental policies. To reach long-term
sustainable solutions, it requires integrated planning instead of sector planning.
The framework of the EU Green Infrastructure policy, the Convention on Biological
Diversity, and the European Habitats Directive (with a specific article (10) about ecological
coherence of the Natura 2000 network) as well as the Birds Directive, call for the realization
of a functionally linked network of high-quality ecosystems in the near future.
To successfully implement green infrastructure at Europe-wide scale, individual
initiatives need to be co-ordinated, stakeholders need to collaborate, political will and expert’s
knowledge need to be combined. To foster this is one of the main goals of the IENE network.
IENE provides a forum where experts of different domains can meet, interact and develop
sustainable solutions. IENE provides an independent, international and interdisciplinary arena
for the exchange and development of expert knowledge with the aim to promote a safe and
ecologically sustainable pan-European transport infrastructure. IENE encourages crossboundary cooperation in research and practise. IENE is organized according to statutes
adopted by a biannual assembly and lead by an elected steering committee. At present, IENE
has some 180 registered members from 44 countries and 41 organizations. Further details
about the network, current activities of IENE and information about habitat fragmentation and
ways to mitigate can be found at www.iene.info.
IENE arranges biannual International Conferences on Transport and Ecology. Smaller
scientific workshops are held in between to deal with specific problems or questions.
During the 2012 IENE International Conference in Potsdam the first IENE Declaration
was released with the title “Overcome Barriers – Europe-wide and now”. The declaration
calls for the development of an integrative European Defragmentation Programme.
3
DISCUSSION
The negative impacts of linear transport infrastructure on nature and biodiversity are
well acknowledged, as are the means to overcome these impacts. Successful examples of
mitigation projects are to be found throughout Europe. Many countries have guidelines
defining the planning and mitigation processes; some already conducted successful
defragmentation programmes.
Nevertheless, too many infrastructure projects lack adequate mitigation measures, too
many transportation networks lack defragmentation programmes. Major obstacles are often
economic constraints which are due to shortcomings in environmental policy and exclusion of
ecological concern from decision making processes. The concept of ecosystem services may
counteract this problem to some extent. Development of a sustainable transport network
requires the development of decision-making tools to include more than only economic
concerns.
Other obstacles are found within the physical planning process: the lack of adequate
knowledge and standpoints regarding important habitats for animal migration, insufficient
inventories and data analyses, as well as failed communication between infrastructure
planners and ecologists. Landscape qualities – such as habitat connectivity – need a general
and legal recognition that provides the necessary incentive for decision makers to consider
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biodiversity right from the start of a project. The Green Infrastructure Strategy tries to
emphasise the multiple benefits for both people and nature. Although many European
directives and strategies highlight the importance of biodiversity protection the defined aims
cannot be reached.
In most European countries road and railroad planning is strictly performed within the
transport sector. A big challenge in successfully implementing mitigation measures is the
necessary cooperation between stakeholders and the compromise between adverse interests. It
is very important to protect the green corridors that lead to the crossing structures by nature
conservation tools or by spatial or landscape planning instruments. It is only trough
successfully integrated planning instead of sector planning that long-term sustainable
solutions can be implemented in the European transport network.
The EU White Paper on transport does not include details about ecological
sustainability of transport infrastructure; it is only generally mentioned as an overall aim. The
responsibility is to a great extent laid in the hands of the member states. This in turn demands
cooperation between countries in many aspects, in everything from knowledge to measures.
The IENE-Network aims to enhance international cooperation and improve
interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge in all political and planning levels with the goal to
integrate the avoidance and mitigation of impacts caused by infrastructure in the relevant
political documents, strategies and directives in the EU and the national states.
4
CONCLUSIONS
European Directives and Strategies (Habitats Directive, SEA and EIA) were released to
maintain or to restore connectivity and biodiversity. According to these requirements the
European Handbook Wildlife and Traffic [19] and many related national guidelines and
planning handbooks were established to better mitigate the impacts of transport
infrastructure on nature and biodiversity. Best practise examples can be found throughout
Europe.
IENE encourages international cooperation and exchange of knowledge between experts
of transport and ecological infrastructure.
Interdisciplinary exchange and cooperation is necessary to successfully implement
mitigation measures and to find sustainable solutions. Cooperation between nature
conservation, infrastructure planning and spatial planning is needed. To ensure the
functionality of mitigation measures such as crossing structures for wildlife, the adjacent
wildlife corridors need to be legally protected and well managed.
Major efforts are needed to protect hitherto unfragmented natural areas from degradation
through infrastructure development.
Conflict points between transport and green infrastructure need to be mitigated to reestablish habitat connectivity. Many countries are in the process of defining a Green
Infrastructure network. This can serve as a basis for the identification and mitigation of
conflict points with existing and planned transport corridors.
The No Net Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services should be ensured. Therefore an
impact regulation system should be developed to maintain the connectivity of habitats and
wildlife populations in the wider landscape when planning new infrastructure. Coherent
measures to strengthen the NATURA 2000 - network as the backbone of Green
Infrastructure must be developed and monitored. Also important areas between these
NATURA 2000 areas (in the wider landscape) need to be considered.
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There is a need for an integrative European Defragmentation Programme, which supports
the Strategy of Green Infrastructure.
To improve measures and their effectiveness follow up studies are necessary. Adequate
follow up studies are very costly and time consuming. Only international cooperation and
similarity in performance can give significant results within reasonable cost and time
frames.
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